In general, an electric water heater uses externally supplied AC power in order to heat a volume of water. In particular, AC power supplied by a utility company and received through a wall connection is generally used to operate one or more heating systems to heat the volume of water. Thus, in the event of a utility power failure, an owner of an electric water heater typically does not have the means to provide power to the electric water heater and, as a result, is unable to obtain hot water. Such inability can be frustrating as the owner can desire to use hot water for showers, dish washing, or other household tasks.
Some water heater owners may have an auxiliary power source such as, for example, a gas generator. However, even owners that do have an auxiliary power source can find that their water heater is incapable of connecting to such auxiliary power source. For example, the water heater can include a plug designed to receive only power at a first, higher voltage while the auxiliary power source provides only power at a second, lower voltage. In such case, the water heater will be unable to be connected to the auxiliary power source. Thus, systems and methods for connecting a water heater to an auxiliary power source are desirable.
Furthermore, even in the event that the water heater is capable of connecting to the auxiliary power source, such auxiliary power source often provides power at a lower voltage than standard utility supplied power. As a result, the auxiliary power source may not provide sufficient power to operate the water heater in the standard fashion. Using auxiliary power at a lower voltage to operate a water heater configured to be powered at a higher voltage may cause dangerous conditions. For example, attempting to power a high wattage resistance heating element of a water heater using auxiliary power at a lower voltage can result in damaging levels of current draw.
Thus, systems and methods for operating a water heater connected to an auxiliary power source are desirable.